The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[getaclue]

I hope so too. They're racing against the clock though. We've got big storms due to hit tomorrow. I suspect we're going to get rain later this evening.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Are the baling it or just cutting it now? Round bales or squares?

 

[getaclue]

They're baling it too. Round bales.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Are they baling it wet or has it dried a few days already? They also make silage in round bales, which get wrapped in plastic. It is fun to watch.

 

[1muttsfan]

That will be cow hay for sure, we had crappy hay like that last year from a cow farmer, and ended up with 2 heavy horses and my pony having to be put down.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That will be cow hay for sure, we had crappy hay like that last year from a cow farmer, and ended up with 2 heavy horses and my pony having to be put down.

Round bales shouldn't be fed to horses because of the mold and dust. Is that what you are referring to or was it too rich for your horses? What happened with the pony?

 

[getaclue]

It's dried for a few days. Yes, it's cow hay. They're working 2 big tractors. 1 for mowing, and 1 for baling, and loading onto the trailer.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They definitely have all the good equipment. The fields always look better after the hay is off.

 

[1muttsfan]

Round bales which are properly baled, of good quality grass, can be safely fed to horses, as long as the outer part is peeled away. But the crap my friend bought was dusty (which in hay terms means full of mold spores), weedy and had clumps of moss and bracken fern, which means he was baling old poor quality fields. I still can NOT believe she did not call him back and tell him to pick that nasty **** up, but she said she could not find any hay anywhere else (which I finally did by calling around to friends in the area). There are still 6 bales sitting in my side field. I would like to burn them

 

[getaclue]

It's actually not bad hay. Very few weeds, if any. Usually they mow it, then use a machine with what looks sort of like fan blades, but more blades. That tosses the hay up a little, and it lands on the ground. They let that sit in the sun a couple days, then do it at least one more time, sometimes 3 or 4 times. That allows the sun to dry it from more than one side. It also cleans the dirt out, and allows the air, and sun to kill out any molds, fungi, etc. After that is when they bale it. This time, however, due to the weather, it just can't be done that way. Sometime tomorrow, a huge storm, possible hurricane depending on what it does between now, and then, is to hit here. It has not rained for 5 days. That was the time to let it dry out some, and today was the last day to harvest it, for at least 2 weeks.